One thing became clear while the Detroit Pistons were being blown out by the Knicks: the Pistons are playing too many guys.
Just about every player on the roster got minutes against the Knicks, partially because it was a blowout but also because the Pistons are 2/3 of the way through the season and still don’t know what they have in certain guys.
I have been 100 percent behind Dwane Casey’s ethos of making players earn minutes but at some point someone needs to win these positional battles, grab the role and get most of the minutes so that they can get into a rhythm.
While it’s been fun to watch young players battle for time, you can’t play 13-14 guys in every game and ever expect any of them to get into a groove or figure out their role.
I wrote recently that Casey needs to figure out his starters and set a rotation and depth chart for the rest of the season so that players have some idea of where they stand moving forward.
Here is the starting lineup I’d love to see, as well as a depth chart for each position.
Detroit Pistons: What is the Pistons’ starting lineup?
Here is the starting lineup that most Pistons’ fans would like to see, as it represents what most of us feel will be most of the future core of this team:
- PG- Killian Hayes
- SG- Hamidou Diallo
- SF- Saddiq Bey
- PF- Jerami Grant
- C- Mason Plumlee
Depending on what the Pistons do in the draft, Hayes and Diallo could be the backcourt of the future, so let’s see them play together.
Bey and Grant are clearly the two forwards of the future and Plumlee has played well all season and has been a glue guy for any lineup and also gives them another passer.
This could very well be the opening night starting five for the Detroit Pistons next season, so why not get started building that chemistry now?
These are the Pistons’ five best players, so let’s start getting them some playing time together so the team can see what it has for the future.
After the starting five, things get more complicated, so here is a depth chart for each position.
Detroit Pistons: Depth chart at center
Starter: Mason Plumlee
Backup: Isaiah Stewart
The center position is probably the easiest to figure out, as Casey has mostly played the same two guys all season.
Mason Plumlee has been one of the best value signings of the offseason, is averaging nearly a double-double and has been one of the best passing bigs in the NBA this season so he deserves to keep his spot in the starting lineup.
Isaiah Stewart has shown flashes of next level talent and is the center of the future, but for now, he’s fine coming off the bench in a role where he can just play hard and not worry about fouls.
I also wouldn’t mind seeing Beef Stew play some power forward with Plumlee, as Stewart has shown improving range from the 3-point line and could be a weapon stretching the floor in a two-man game with Plumlee.
Stewart is going to play plenty at both spots so there is no reason to mess with one of the positions that has been more or less set all season.
Stewart has been getting more minutes than Plumlee of late, so coming off the bench shouldn’t affect his development.
Detroit Pistons: Depth chart at forward
Starters: Jerami Grant and Saddiq Bey
Backup: Tyler Cook
Mop-up: Sekou Doumbouya
A couple of things have become clear this season when it comes to the forwards: Grant and Bey are the future and Doumbouya can’t get out of Casey’s doghouse.
At this point, I’ve given up trying to convince anyone that Sekou Doumbouya should actually play in a rebuilding season so that the Pistons can figure out if he is any good in games that don’t matter because it’s not happening.
He was the only Piston not to enter the game against the Knicks. If you can’t get into a game where your team is down 47 points, I don’t know when you will.
Tyler Cook has been ok since signing his second ten-day contract and he is only 23-years-old himself, so is worth a flyer if the Pistons’ don’t think Doumbouya is ready to play.
I’m not that high on Cook to make the team next season, so I really don’t see the logic in playing him over Doumbouya but at this point I am just being realistic.
The forward spots are set as far as starters go, and if the Pistons end up trading Doumbouya in the offseason, I could see them looking for a veteran or possibly Cook, to fill one of the backup spots next season.
Detroit Pistons: Depth chart at shooting guard
Starter: Hamidou Diallo
Backup: Josh Jackson
Backup: Frank Jackson
I see no reason not to throw Hamidou Diallo into the starting lineup now.
He has played well since the Pistons acquired him and they’ve given every indication that they plan to re-sign him in the offseason, so what are we waiting for here?
I am not on the Josh Jackson bandwagon like many and feel he could easily be traded in the offseason as he and Diallo essentially do the same things only Diallo is better and younger.
Jackson is on a team-friendly deal, but the Pistons need some guys who can score, so he may have to be shipped out for a shooter at some point. I’d be okay if the Pistons tried to run with both of them next season but at some point they are going to have to inject some offense and shooting into this rotation.
Frank Jackson is another interesting option at shooting guard, as he has improved his 3-point shooting to 43 percent this season, making a case for himself as a shooter off the bench.
I don’t know if either of the Jacksons will be with the Detroit Pistons long term but both deserve a chance to earn a spot and could get one.
I definitely don’t need to see any more of Wayne Ellington or Cory Joseph. Both are veterans that are not likely to be on the team next season, and we know what they can do.
The Pistons need to let this battle play out and can’t keep clouding it by playing older guys who are not part of the long-term plans.
Detroit Pistons: Depth chart at point guard
Starter: Killian Hayes
Backup: Saben Lee
Backup: Dennis Smith Jr.
I’d be ok if Killian Hayes and Saben Lee got all of the minutes here and Dennis Smith Jr. was left out of the rotation.
He’s another guy I can’t see the Pistons signing long term, so why not go with the two rookies who have both shown promise this season?
I know some fans are high on Smith Jr., but there is a reason he was languishing on the Knicks’ bench for so long. He can do a couple of things well and has nice athleticism, but the Pistons already have their point guard of the future in Hayes and Lee has been better than Smith Jr. this season and is younger.
Hayes is still rounding into shape after being out, so he won’t be able to play big minutes, which means all three of these guys will probably still see action but as the season winds down, I expect we’ll see more of Hayes and Lee, possibly sometimes together.
The Detroit Pistons could very well end up drafting another point guard, so they need to choose two of these guys to move forward with and my guess is that Smith Jr. will be the odd man out.
Dwane Casey needs to tighten up his rotation and remove the veterans that won’t be with the team next season. It’s time to get this down to 10 guys at most and start building chemistry with guys who will be here long term.